Proactive plan urged for water woes

Rotterdam told to plan for future to address old pipes

Paul Nelso, Times Union

By Paul Nelson

Updated 10:39 pm, Wednesday, August 13, 2014

A section of damaged water main pipe on Princetown Road, one of four water main breaks that left more than two-thirds of town residents without water Tuesday July 1, 2014, in Rotterdam, NY. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union)

A new section of water main pipe, center, in place on Princetown Road, one of four water main breaks that left more than two-thirds of town residents without water Tuesday July 1, 2014, in Rotterdam, NY. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union)

A section of damaged water main pipe, center, on Princetown Road, one of four water main breaks that left more than two-thirds of town residents without water Tuesday July 1, 2014, in Rotterdam, NY. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union)

A broken water pipe is seen on Bernard St. at a large hole in the road on Sunday, Aug. 10, 2014 in Rotterdam, N.Y. There was a water main break a few days earlier and houses had flood damage. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union)

A pipe is seen in a large hole on Bernard St. on Sunday, Aug. 10, 2014 in Rotterdam, N.Y. There was a water main break there a few days earlier and houses had flood damage. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union)

Backhoes are seen on Bernard St. at a large hole in the road on Sunday, Aug. 10, 2014 in Rotterdam, N.Y. There was a water main break there a few days earlier and houses had flood damage. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union)

Backhoes are seen on Bernard St. at a large hole in the road on Sunday, Aug. 10, 2014 in Rotterdam, N.Y. There was a water main break there a few days earlier and houses had flood damage. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union)

Backhoes are seen on Bernard St. at a large hole in the road on Sunday, Aug. 10, 2014 in Rotterdam, N.Y. There was a water main break there a few days earlier and houses had flood damage especially the house seen here. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union)

Residents receive bottled water donated by Price Chopper at a town water station at the former Curry Road Shopping Center Tuesday, July 1, 2014, in Rotterdam, N.Y. Four water main breaks left more than two-thirds of town residents without water (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union)

Six-year-old Dominick Brooks helps his mother Denise Brooks, left, fill gallon water bottles with fresh water at a town water station at the former Curry Road Shopping Center Tuesday July 1, 2014, in Rotterdam, NY. Four water main breaks left more than two-thirds of town residents without water (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union)

The town's water consultant said a pressure sensor and an air surge tank on 20- and 24-inch water mains are enhancements the municipality could make within two weeks to help them detect problems brewing underground in its nearly 60- year-old system of about 150 miles of pipes.

"Moving forward, we have to do some vast improvements with our infrastructure," said Clark Collins during the Rotterdam Town Board meeting. "All the information we have and the warnings we've received, we have to do something with it."

The plaintive talk by Collins, who previously worked in the town water department for the city for 23 years, was in response to the five breaks of water mains in Rotterdam since June 30. On that day, a pipe broke on Bernard Street near Wallace Avenue. It was one of four in the town that day. After that happened, much of the town's water was shut off and a state of emergency was declared.

Over the weekend, a pipe deep under the gravel on Bernard Street, near the corner of North Westcott Road, burst, spewing water into the air and flooding a handful of surrounding basements and first floors of homes. All told, the cost for the repairs exceeded $80,000 said Collins.

He said the town needs to more proactive and stop with all the studies already.

"We wait until it gets to the point when we have no choice and when he do things under emergency it ends up costing us more money," Collins said. "We spend all this money on studies and then we don't do what the study tells us." The last report was in 2003.

He attributed the five water main breaks that have occurred since June 30 in part to another break that occurred on Princetown Road some years ago. Besides the antiquated pipes, Collins said the changing traffic patterns since the 1950s and marked increase in heavy machinery and vehicles on roads contribute to the deterioration over time of the pipes.

Collins also said the town needs to take advantage of technology, including a portable computer that tells water officials what valves to shut off in the event of an emergency.

He also picked up on a point that Supervisor Harry Buffardi has made that the $25 a year fee the town was charging residents for unlimited water use didn't generate enough revenue for the required repairs. Earlier this year, the fee was hiked to $75.

As a result, the town has more money in the coffers to fix the pipes and Collins said the time has come to start doing the much needed work.

"We need more informaton of what's going on in our water main so we can react quickly." added Collins.

Meantime, the contract squabble between the town and the company that provides its emergency and paramedic service continues.

A resolution Wednesday that would have resolved the matter was voted down. The latest sticking point seems revolve around language related to documenting calls or what Buffardi called reporting that he argued is needed for REMS to be held accountable. Dean Romano, REMS director of operations, countered that the reporting has nothing to do with their operations and said the problem is there are "hidden agendas."

REMS and Rotterdam are scheduled to meet soon to continue contract talks.